11 Meanings
Add Yours
Follow
Share
Q&A
The Street Parade Lyrics
When I was waiting for your phonecall
The one that never came
Like a man about to burst
I was dying of thirst
Though I will never fade
Or get lost in this daze
Though I will disappear
Into the street parade
It's not too hard to cry
In these crying times
I'll take a broken heart
And take it home in parts
But I will never fade
I was in this place
By the first church of the city
I saw tears on the face
The face of a visionary
Though I will disappear
To join the street parade
Disappear and fade
Into the street parade
The one that never came
Like a man about to burst
I was dying of thirst
Or get lost in this daze
Though I will disappear
Into the street parade
In these crying times
I'll take a broken heart
And take it home in parts
But I will never fade
By the first church of the city
I saw tears on the face
The face of a visionary
To join the street parade
Disappear and fade
Into the street parade
Add your song meanings, interpretations, facts, memories & more to the community.
Very beautiful tune. Almost dream-like. Great use of Caribbean drums.
I think the Parade be seen in a very positive or negative Light.
POSITIVE:
A parade of righteous rebellion you imbed yourself in.
NEGATIVE:
You shall eventually fade into the distance despite your best efforts/intentions through inaction and accepting the street parade as it is instead of how it should be.
I hope you understand:
Is it idealistic saying you've got to be strong, hold on to your ethics and never fade into the status quo, making your own street parade? Or is it saying your idealism and ethics will get lost up in another parade for better or worse…
I think all of the above.
It’s a very deep song if you fully immerse yourself. Like all other Clash songs.
I think in the future they’ll be truly held up as the only band that really matters. To me they are.
Everything might go wrong, and people will disappoint you with what they do, but you can always join the street parade, hide yourself in the crowd, like running away to the circus.
I agree with others that this song is about the strength that can be drawn from the collective in times of personal trauma. In my own mind, I think an alternative take is that SP is a grown up TIV. In TIV, the narrator is heartbroken and at the end ("...but without your love/I won't make it through" and "you don't understand my point of view ") and angry (" you didn't stand by me, no not at all/ you didn't stand by me, no way). In SP, the narrators hurt and anger are replaced by resignation ( "take my broken heart/take it home in parts")and a hope that seeking a place in something bigger than themselves ("disappear and fade/into the street parade") will bring an enduring quality to something greater than themselves. Also, SP would be great on the soundtrack to Upton Sinclairs "The Jungle".
This song is beautiful. The hell does it mean?
A street parade is a metaphor for the group-strength and forward motion of working-class society. Or it could represent an actual protest march, as were common in Britain in the early 1980's.
Joe Strummer may be conflicted over personal feelings such as anger, thirst, crying, love, and religion, but he won't let these deter him from being part of the bigger movement. Individual feelings are inevitable ('visionary'), but also fleeting and truly insignificant in terms of the progression of society as a whole.
Strummer was aware that dwelling on personal feelings could lead into the downward spiral of depression ('daze'), a conflict with the self that deters from the joy and positive process of parading forward via contributing to society.
When someone feels like this, they can, perhaps should, make their focus on the self disappear. It is more productive to join-in, contribute, and feed-off the energies of working with others towards the common goal of society, which is to enjoy our time, but also ensure that it continues to move forward, just like a street parade.
I love how this song sounds during the last chorus. Joe is hacking at his guitar and he gets a bit off-beat while the other guitars float around and horns come out of nowhere... all the while, Topper's beat is steady. It really sounds like a parade - everyone is in their own world but they're marching along together.
I could listen to this album for the rest of time.
The genius in this song is the off-beat guitar, creating a sense of alienation to echo the songs
The genius in this song is the off-beat guitar, creating a sense of alienation to echo the songs
It´s probably not what it was written about, but to me this song, due to the music, feels like it´s about loss of innocence and eventual death. He´s recounting important moments in his life, but by the chorus he has become jaded and is reflecting on the strange mystery of it all. He sees dying as simply joining the endless river of life (the "street parade"). Never fading, always flowing toward something we aren´t aware of.
Strummer are his most soulful. Not sure what this song means. Makes me think about my own life in a melancholic way. Rather than maintain friendships and friendship groups, I’ve always just dropped into the lives of others, and then left to join the Street Parade. Always preferred it that way. Look back with fondness, but never try to go back.